Folding-vehicle-top holder.



H. DE W. COX.

FOLDING VBHIGLE TOP HOLDER. APPLICATION IITED MAR. 2a, 1913.

1,092,898, Patented Apr. 14. 1914 losses HARRY DE WITT core-s RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

roLpiNe-ynHIoLE-ToP nominal To all about it in (13 concern Be it known that I, HARRY D, Coma citizen of the United States, residing at Rich; mond, in the county of Henrico and State OfV-ilg'llllm have invented new and useful Improvements in Foldin'g Vehiole-Top Holders,-of-whicl1 thefollowing is a specification.- I i I v This invention is an in'iprovctl holder especially adapted for use for holding the foldlng tops of bnggiesycarriages and auto mobiles when the said tops are lowered so as to prevent the tops from moving vertically when lowered as by the motion of the vehicle-thus preventing the tops from belng in ured by suchmotion and also avoiding the exertion and undesirable stress on :vthe body of the vehicle incident to loose" V describedv and claimed.

vertical motion' of a folded top, the inventlon consist ng in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter The object-of my invention is to provide aniniproved holder which may be readily attached to a buggyor other vehicle, which may be adjustedfor use on afolding vehicle top of any size and which may be readily and instantly engaged or disengaged with the top, atwilL v as; Y top aportion of the vehicle body and the In the accompanying drawing:-Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a foldlng vehicle top holder constructed in accordance with my invention. showing the same in position at one side of a vehicle :{bodyand in operative relation to a folded bQw'sLof the top being indicated in dotted lines. 1 Fig. 2- 1s a side elevation of the same.

' Fig. 3' is aplan of the same.

My improved folding vehicle top com prisesessentially a lower member 1 adapted to 'be-fsecurecl at one side of a vehicle body and toe gage the lower bow of a vehicle top, an 'npper member 2- to engage the upper bow of the vehicle top when the latter is folded," and adjustable means between v the said members.

The lower member 1 is formed with a saddle 3 to receive the lower side of the lower bow of a folding vehicle top at one side of the vehicle, and has an outwardly extending arm which has a vertical bore At the center of the saddle is a downwardly extending standard-6, having an eye I Specification ot Letters Patent.

' Application filed March 26, 1913.- SerialNo. 756,918.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914 7 to receive the usual stud a which projects from the side of'a vehicle body, the said standard alsohaving a clamping screw 8 to engage said stud and thus securely and yet detachably fasten the lower member to the stud. -The arm 4 of the member 1 is also provided with a horizontal outwardly extending bore 9. On. theout'er end of the said arm is a cap 10, detachably secured to the arm by screws or other suitable devices 11, the said cap havinga small square 0pening concentric and communicating with the bpre 9 and being also provided at itsnpper sSlClQWV-ltll a pair of lugs 12. A looking bolt or dog 13 which is cross sectionallyrectangm lar isarranged in the bore '9 and passes through and is slidable in the opening in the cap 10 and has its outer end pivotally connected as at 14 to a latch. handle lever 15 which isfnlcrumed as at 16 between the ears or lugs 12. j

Near theinner end of the dog'is a circular enlarged head 17 which fits and is slidable in the bore 9, the extreme inner end of the dog being beveled as at 18 and adapted to engage between any of the ratchet teeth 20 of a connecting rod 91 This con necting rod has its upper end pivotally connected as at 22 to one side of the semitubular upper member 2 whiclrin effect forms a clamping saddle to engage over the upper bow Z) of the folding top at one side thereof. The pivot- 22 enables the member Qtoadjust itself to the angle of the upper bow of the top so that-both ends of said member 2- bear firmly on said bow and at any'angle at which the bow may lie as indicated in Fig. 1.

The rod21 iscylindri al in form and fits and is slidable in the vertical bore 5 of the arm of the lower member 1. Hence. the

rod E21 coacts with the locking dog 13 to form an adjustable connection between the lower and upper members to permit of any desired adjustment of the upper member according to the size of the folding top with which the device is employed and to also permit the upper member to be locked at any desired adjustment.

' Owing to the cylindrical construction of the rod 21 and the bore 5, the rod, when its upper member 2 has been released from the top bow of the vehicle top maybe thenturned so as to swing the upper member outwardly outol the vertical path of' the vehicle top so as to permit the latter to be raised.

It will be understood that when the mem bers' 1 2 are, respectively, engaged with the lower and upper bows of a vehicle top and the locking dog 13 is engaged with the connectingrod 21, the top is effectually prevJ- vented from moving vertically by the motion of the machine, all lost or loose motion of the top is prevented and the top is protected from injury and from racking the vehicle body. It will be understood that one of my improved holders will be usedon each side of the body of the vehicle to engage the base of the foldingvehicle top at opposite sides.

lVhile I have herein shown and described a preferred form of my invention, I would have it understood that changes may be made in the form, proportion and construc-, tion of'the several parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim A folding vehicle top holder comprising a any desired adjustment to said lower 1ne1nber,

the said rod being revoluble in the opening of the lower member, and the upper member being pivotally connected to the upper end of the said rod.

In testimony whereof I allixniy signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY nu WITT cox.

\Vitnesses r BEN Bureaus, C. T. CRAWFORD. 

